For our ongoing seriesFundamentals,were looking at different companies worldwide and the basic principles they were built on.
This time: ride-sharing service BlaBlaCar.
Yes, the name sounds a little goofy, but BlaBlaCar is anything but.
The ride-sharing service is now available in 22 countries.
The platform has 70 million users, including eight million active drivers.
Other travelers who need to make the same trip can pay to carpool with them.
Drivers are not allowed to make a profit, so the costs just cover things like gas and insurance.
It isnt easy, he tells us in an interview.
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Sticking to their philosophy became even more difficult as BlaBlaCar matured.
With growth comes more scrutiny, Brusson continues.
More people will notice your failures, peers will judge your decisions.
This puts even more pressure on your technical staff.
And this indeed is an ongoing challenge for the company, and more specificallyits CTO Francis Nappez.
Making mistakes
Brusson learned the ropes of entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley in the early 2000s.
Studying and working in the US definitely introduced me to this new entrepreneurial mindset, Brusson says.
I learned its okay to make mistakes sometimes.
The first years were tough, he continues.
BlaBlaCar was founded in 2006 and we received our first funding round in 2010.
So our struggling garage phase took a long time.
Back in 2008-2009, investors were already sensing the looming global financial crisis and therefore skeptical of tech startups.
People just didnt think it would work, Brusson says.
When we tried to explain the idea in those days, people would say: So its like hitchhiking?
But when the sharing economy really took off, around 2013, that changed seemingly overnight.
All of the sudden, everybody said: Oh, so its like Airbnb but for cars!
Operationally inhuman
With more recognition came more funding.
And with that, even more funding.
In July 2014, BlaBlaCar raised $100 million to become the leading ride-sharing service.
In September 2015, the company raised another $200 million.
Its the only thing Brusson wished hed done differently, he says.
It was operationally inhuman to launch in that many countries in such a short time.
We naively approached new markets like they were similar to France.
While countries like Russia and India, understandably, require a process thats completely different.
According to Brusson, done is better than perfect becomes problematic when no exceptions are made.
Because sometimes, things do have to be perfect.
Companies cant compromise on privacy and security.
Having said that: the mantra done is better than perfect still stands.
Just look at e-scooter sharing platforms, a relatively new phenomenon.
What are they willing to pay?
Where does the app crash?
The French unicorn has already acquired Ouibus, a bus operator traveling between big cities.
Another new endeavor is BlaBlaLines, a ride-sharing app specifically aimed at commuting.
In a way, its like were back at the beginning starting locally and moving to new markets.
So Im excited to see how much further we can take this.
Story byAnouk Vleugels
As Publisher, Anouk is responsible for TNW’s overall media strategy.
